Bricks are a commonly used building material, typically for the exteriors of residential and commercial structures. Brick exteriors are preferred, because a timeless, sturdy, and rich look is incorporated into a building. Additionally, the character is maintained for decades and requires minimal maintenance. Accordingly, for many upper end residential and commercial structures, brick is the preferred material for use in exterior construction. Moreover, many municipalities have building codes that require structures to have a brick exterior. Unfortunately, brick is comparatively more expensive than comparable building materials. There is a resulting need for alternative composition bricks that are comparably less expensive.
Most commercially available bricks for use in house construction are made of clay. This is commonly referred to as “clay” or natural brick, collectively “clay” brick. Clay brick is preferred because it has natural variations of color throughout its main color. This color variation is known as flashing. For example, red brick will have various color flashings, such as black, with the black flashings providing a natural variation of color throughout the brick.
Clay brick tends to be an expensive material because of high manufacturing costs. As a result, alternatives to clay brick are desired. Concrete bricks are a cost effective alternative to clay brick. Contemporary concrete bricks, however, have numerous drawbacks. Concrete bricks typically consist of a painted or colored exterior with an interior of a different color. The paint will not permanently adhere to the brick so that after a period of time it peels and cracks. The underlying color will resultantly contrast the exterior color of the remaining paint on the bricks.
Moreover, painting or coloring the concrete bricks produces a “fake” look. Painting a brick generally does not mimic the variations in tone and color associated with a clay brick. Paint produces a uniform color on the surface. Also, paint imparts a reflective characteristic to the surface. As such, when placed side-by-side, the painted concrete bricks do not duplicate the appearance of clay bricks, and, as such, are not a viable alternative. These colorings, and therefore, the concrete bricks, lack the rich look of a clay brick, and are easily detected by the human eye.
Additionally, contemporary concrete bricks are not suitable for high-end construction. Rather, concrete bricks have been relegated to uses in low-end construction, or for landscaping and walkways. Accordingly, concrete bricks are generally unacceptable to builders or purchasers of “upper-end” construction projects. Concrete, however, is a comparatively inexpensive material. Further, it is durable, as it doesn't readily crack or chip. For these reasons, it is desired to have concrete bricks which are available for residential construction. In particular, it is desired to have a concrete brick that closely mimics the appearance of a clay brick.